Practicas basicas piano

Fundamentals
of
Piano Practice
by Chuan C. Chang

To my wife
Merry
and our daughters
Eileen and Sue-Lynn
The material of Chapter One originated from my notes on how the late Mlle. Yvonne Combe taught
our daughters. Mlle. Combe was Debussy's disciple and helped transcribe his new compositions as he played
them out on the piano. She performed that incredible Second Piano Concerto by Saint Saens with the
composer conducting. Every audience that attended recitals by her students, especially when they played
Debussy and Saint Saens, was mesmerized. This book had to be written: without it, her passing would have
deprived this world of a priceless art.
Chapter One: PIANO TECHNIQUE
Chapter Two: TUNING YOUR PIANO
References
March 6, 2009
Copyright © 2009, copy permitted if author’s name,
Chuan C. Chang, and this copyright statement are included.
ISBN: 1-4196-7859-0
ISBN-13: 978-419678592
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007907498
Order this book at www.booksurge.com or Amazon.com
This entire book can be downloaded free at:
http://www.pianopractice.org/
1

Table of Contents
Testimonials.................................................................................................................................................... 6
Abbreviations and Frequently Used Phrases................................................................................................. 14
Preface........................................................................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER ONE: PIANO TECHNIQUE......................................................................................................... 24
I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 24
1. Objective........................................................................................................................................... 24
2. What is Piano Technique?................................................................................................................. 25
3. Technique, Music, Mental Play ........................................................................................................ 26
4. Basic Approach, Interpretation, Musical Training, Absolute Pitch .................................................. 26
II. BASIC PROCEDURES FOR PIANO PRACTICE................................................................................. 28
1. The Practice Routine......................................................................................................................... 28
2. Finger Positions................................................................................................................................. 29
3. Bench Height and Distance from Piano............................................................................................ 30
4. Starting a Piece: Listening and Analysis (Fur Elise)......................................................................... 30
5. Practice the Difficult Sections First .................................................................................................. 31
6. Shortening Difficult Passages: Segmental (Bar-by-Bar) Practice..................................................... 31
7. Hands Separate Practice: Acquiring Technique................................................................................ 31
8. Continuity Rule................................................................................................................................. 32
9. Chord Attack..................................................................................................................................... 33
10. Gravity Drop, Chord Practice, and Relaxation............................................................................ 33
11. Parallel Sets................................................................................................................................. 35
12. Learning, Memorizing, and Mental Play..................................................................................... 36
13. Velocity, Choice of Practice Speed............................................................................................. 38
14. How to Relax............................................................................................................................... 39
15. Post Practice Improvement (PPI) ................................................................................................ 41
16. Dangers of Slow Play - Pitfalls of the Intuitive Method ............................................................. 42
17. Importance of Slow Play............................................................................................................. 43
18. Fingering ..................................................................................................................................... 44
19. Accurate Tempo and the Metronome.......................................................................................... 45
20. Weak Left Hand; Using One Hand to Teach the Other............................................................... 46
21. Building Endurance, Breathing................................................................................................... 47
22. Bad Habits: A Pianist's Worst Enemy......................................................................................... 49
23. Damper Pedal.............................................................................................................................. 51
24. Soft Pedal: Hammer Voicing, Physics of the Piano Sound......................................................... 52
25. Hands Together and Mental Play................................................................................................ 55
Beehoven’s Moonlight, 1st Movement, Op. 27, No. 2 ......................................................... 56
Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca, from Sonata K300 (K331). ..................................................... 59
Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66, Fast Play Degradation (FPD)................................. 61
26. Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 64
III. SELECTED TOPICS IN PIANO PRACTICE ....................................................................................... 64
1. Tone, Rhythm, Legato, staccato........................................................................................................... 64
a. What is "Good Tone"?
The Basic Keystroke. .......................................................................................................... 64
Tone: Single versus Multiple Notes, Pianissimo, Fortissimo. ............................................ 65
b. What is Rhythm? (Beethoven’s Tempest, Op. 31, #2, Appassionata, Op. 57) ........................... 69
c. Legato, Staccato .......................................................................................................................... 71
2. Cycling (Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu).............................................................................................. 72
3. Trills & Tremolos ................................................................................................................................. 76
a. Trills............................................................................................................................................ 76
b. Tremolos (Beethoven's Pathetique, 1st Movement).................................................................... 77
2

4. Hand, Finger, Body Motions for Technique..........................................................................................79
a. Hand Motions (Pronation, Supination, Thrust, Pull, Claw, Throw, Flick, Wrist).......................79
b. Playing with Flat Fingers (FFP, Spider, Pyramid Positions).......................................................80
c. Body Motions ..............................................................................................................................88
5. Playing Fast: Scales, Arpeggios, and Chromatic Scales........................................................................89
a. Scales: Thumb Under, Thumb Over (TU, TO)............................................................................89
b. The TO Motion, Explanation and Video .....................................................................................91
c. Practicing TO: Speed, Glissando Motion ....................................................................................92
d. Scales: Origin, Nomenclature and Fingerings .............................................................................96
e. Arpeggios (Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu, Cartwheel Motion, Finger Splits) ..........................98
f. Thrust and Pull, Beethoven's Moonlight, 3rd Movement..........................................................100
g. Thumb: the Most Versatile Finger.............................................................................................103
h. Fast Chromatic Scales................................................................................................................103
6. Memorizing .........................................................................................................................................104
a. Why Memorize? ........................................................................................................................104
b. Who can, What to, and When to, Memorize. ............................................................................106
c. Memorizing and Maintenance ...................................................................................................106
d. Hand Memory............................................................................................................................107
e. Starting the Memorizing Process...............................................................................................107
f. Reinforcing the Memory............................................................................................................108
g. Practicing Cold ..........................................................................................................................109
h. Slow Play...................................................................................................................................109
i. Mental Timing ...........................................................................................................................110
j. Establishing Permanent Memory, Mental Play .........................................................................110
Music memory.....................................................................................................................111
Photographic memory..........................................................................................................111
Keyboard memory and mental play.....................................................................................112
Theoretical memory.............................................................................................................114
k. Maintenance...............................................................................................................................114
l. Sight Readers versus Memorizers..............................................................................................115
Bach's 2-part Inventions: #1, #8, and #13. .........................................................................116
Quiet hands.........................................................................................................................120
Sinfonia #15.......................................................................................................................121
m. Human Memory Function; Music = Memory Algorithm..........................................................122
n. How to Become a Good Memorizer..........................................................................................124
o. Summary....................................................................................................................................125
7. Exercises..............................................................................................................................................126
a. Introduction: Intrinsic, Limbering, and Conditioning Exercises ...............................................126
Fast vs. Slow Muscles .......................................................................................................127
b. Parallel Set Exercises for Intrinsic Technical Development......................................................128
c. How To Use The Parallel Set Exercises (Beethoven’s Appassionata, 3rd Movement) ............134
d. Scales, Arpeggios, Finger Independence and Finger Lifting Exercises ....................................135
e. Playing (Wide) Chords, Finger/Palm Spreading Exercises .......................................................136
f. Practicing Jumps........................................................................................................................138
g. Stretching and Other Exercises..................................................................................................139
h. Problems with Hanon Exercises ................................................................................................139
i. Practicing for Speed ..................................................................................................................142
Speed Stroke, Relaxation...................................................................................................142
Other Speed Methods ........................................................................................................143
Speed Walls.......................................................................................................................143
8. Outlining (Beethoven's Sonata #1)......................................................................................................145
9. Polishing a Piece - Eliminating Flubs..................................................................................................146
3
10. Cold Hands, Slippery (Dry/Sweaty) Fingers, Illness, Hand Injury (Carpal Tunnel), Ear Damage
(Tinnitus).................................................................................................................................................147

11. Sight Reading.................................................................................................................................... 153
12. Learning Relative Pitch and Absolute Pitch (Sight Singing, Composing) ....................................... 155
13. Video Recording and Audio Recording Your Own Playing............................................................. 159
14. Preparing for Performances and Recitals.......................................................................................... 160
a. Benefits and Pitfalls of Performances/Recitals. .............................................................................. 160
b. Basics of Flawless Performances.................................................................................................... 161
c. Practicing for Performances............................................................................................................ 161
d. Practicing Musically. ...................................................................................................................... 162
e. Casual Performances....................................................................................................................... 163
f. Performance Preparation Routines. ................................................................................................. 164
g. During the Recital. .......................................................................................................................... 166
h. That Unfamiliar Piano..................................................................................................................... 166
i. After the Recital............................................................................................................................... 167
15. Origin and Control of Nervousness................................................................................................... 167
16. Teaching............................................................................................................................................ 170
a. Types of Teachers. .......................................................................................................................... 170
b. Teaching Youngsters, Parental Involvement, Mental Play, Absolute Pitch. .................................. 170
How to teach your child............................................................................................................. 172
c. Memorizing, Reading, Theory. ....................................................................................................... 174
d. Some Elements of Piano Lessons and performance skills. ............................................................. 175
e. Why the Greatest Pianists Could Not Teach................................................................................... 178
17. Upright, Grand & Electronic Pianos; Purchasing and Care.............................................................. 179
a. Grand, Upright, or Electronic?........................................................................................................ 179
b. Electronic Pianos............................................................................................................................. 180
c. Uprights........................................................................................................................................... 183
d. Grands............................................................................................................................................. 183
e. Purchasing an Acoustic Piano......................................................................................................... 184
f. Piano Care........................................................................................................................................ 185
18. How to Start Learning Piano: Youngest Children to Old Adults...................................................... 187
a. Do You Need a Teacher?. ............................................................................................................... 187
b. Starter Books and Keyboards.......................................................................................................... 188
c. Beginners: Age 0 to 65+.................................................................................................................. 188
19. The “Ideal” Practice Routine (Bach’s Teachings and Invention #4) ................................................ 191
a. Learning the Rules. ......................................................................................................................... 191
b. Routine for Learning a New Piece.................................................................................................. 191
c. “Normal” Practice Routines and Bach’s Teachings........................................................................ 191
20. Bach: the Greatest Composer and Teacher (15 Inventions and their Parallel Sets).......................... 197
21. The Psychology of Piano .................................................................................................................. 199
22. Summary of Method ......................................................................................................................... 201
IV. MUSIC, MATHEMATICS, AND RESEARCH.................................................................................. 202
1. Can We All Be Mozarts? .................................................................................................................... 202
2. Scientific Approach to Piano Practice................................................................................................. 203
a. The Scientific Method..................................................................................................................... 203
b. Principles of Learning..................................................................................................................... 204
3. Why Is Intuition So Often Wrong?..................................................................................................... 206
4. Mozart's Formula, Beethoven and Group Theory............................................................................... 206
Mozart (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Sonata K300)............................................................................ 206
Beethoven (5th Symphony, Appassionata, Waldstein)................................................................... 209
5. Learning Rate Calculation (1000 Times Faster!)................................................................................ 212
6. Future Research Topics....................................................................................................................... 215
a. Momentum Theory of Piano Playing.............................................................................................. 215
b. The Physiology of Technique. ........................................................................................................ 215
c. Brain Research, Using the Subconscious........................................................................................ 215
4

d. The Future of Piano … ……………………………………………………………………………217
. e. The Future of Education..……………………………………………….………………………….219
V. JAZZ, FAKE BOOKS, AND IMPROVISATION.................................................................................220
CHAPTER TWO: TUNING YOUR PIANO..................................................................................................222
1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................................222
2. Chromatic Scale and Temperament.....................................................................................................223
a. Mathematics of the Chromatic Scale and Intervals .........................................................................223
b. Temperament, Music, and the Circle of Fifths................................................................................225
c. Pythagorean, Equal, Meantone, and “Well” Temperaments. ..........................................................226
3. Tuning Tools .......................................................................................................................................228
4. Preparation...........................................................................................................................................228
5. Getting Started.....................................................................................................................................228
a. Engaging and Manipulating the Tuning Lever................................................................................229
b. Setting the Pin..................................................................................................................................230
c. Tuning Unisons................................................................................................................................230
d. Sympathetic Vibrations. ..................................................................................................................232
e. Making that Final Infinitesimal Motion...........................................................................................232
f. Equalizing String Tension................................................................................................................233
g. Rocking It in the Treble...................................................................................................................233
h. Rumblings in the Bass.....................................................................................................................233
i. Harmonic Tuning. ............................................................................................................................234
j. What is Stretch?................................................................................................................................234
k. Precision, Precision, Precision.........................................................................................................234
6. Tuning Procedures and Temperament.................................................................................................235
a. Tuning the Piano to the Tuning Fork...............................................................................................235
b. Kirnberger II....................................................................................................................................236
c. Equal Temperament.........................................................................................................................236
7. Making Minor Repairs (Voicing and Polishing the Capstans)............................................................237
a. Hammer Voicing. ............................................................................................................................237
b. Polishing the Capstans.....................................................................................................................239
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................239
Book/Video Reviews...............................................................................................................................241
Reviewed Books: Classical Music ......................................................................................................241
General Conclusions from the Reviewed Books.............................................................................241
List of MUST READ Books & MUST VIEW Videos....................................................................242
Reviewed Books: Jazz, Fake Books and Improvisation......................................................................253
Reviewed Videos.................................................................................................................................254
Web Sites, Books, Videos .......................................................................................................................254
General ................................................................................................................................................254
Sites with Free Sheet Music and Other Goodies .................................................................................254
Piano Instruction (Classical), Teachers, Schools.................................................................................254
Books Not Referenced Above, by title................................................................................................255
Piano Technology, Tuning, Parts, Manufacturers ..............................................................................256
Injury from Piano Practice..................................................................................................................256
Jazz, Chords, Theory, Instruction (Popular Music) ............................................................................256
Sheet Music, Video, CD, Book, Stores.................................................................................................257
Notes for Translators:..............................................................................................................................257
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.............................................................................................................................258
List of Tables, Equations, and Videos.........................................................................................................258
Index............................................................................................................................................................258
5

Request: to those who have found this material useful, please make an effort to let at least
two people know about my web site, so that we can start a chain reaction of ever more people that
will be informed of this site.
I am looking for volunteers to translate this book into any language. See "Notes for
Translators" on P. 257. Please email me at cc88m@aol.com to discuss this matter. This book is
presently being translated into German, Polish, Italian, Spanish, French, Simplified and Traditional
Chinese, and Japanese.
Teachers can use this book as a textbook for teaching practice methods. It can save you a lot
of time, allowing you to concentrate on teaching music. The Preface is a good overview of the book,
and the book reviews in the Reference section contains detailed reviews of the most relevant books.
Students: If you don’t have a teacher, pick any piece of music you want to learn (that is
within your technical skill level) and start practicing it using the methods described here; the
methods are arranged roughly in the order in which you will need them as you start learning a new
piece. In either case (with or without a teacher), read the entire book quickly the first time. Skip any
section that you think is not relevant or is too detailed; do not try to understand every concept or to
remember anything – read it like a science fiction novel (but none of this is fiction) – you just want
to get acquainted with the book and get some idea of where certain topics are discussed. Finally,
read as much of the Testimonial section as you find interesting. Then re-start from where you think
the book gives material that you need; most people will need to read all of Chapter One, sections I
and II. Then you can skip around to specific topics that apply to the composition you are learning. If
you don’t have a clear idea of what compositions to learn, this book cites many examples, from
beginner material (Chapter One, III.18) to intermediate; therefore, in your first reading, look for
where these examples/suggestions are.
Testimonials
(Received prior to July, 2004)
These testimonials illustrate the hopes, trials, tribulations, and triumphs, of pianists and piano
teachers. I am heartened by the number of teachers who provided testimonials and by their indication
that they are having more success with their students by using these types of methods. It seems
inescapable that teachers who conduct research and improve their teaching methods are more
successful. Numerous pianists mentioned that they were taught all wrong by previous teachers.
Many, who liked their teachers, noted that these teachers used methods similar to those in this book.
There is almost uniform agreement on what is right and what is wrong; therefore, when you follow
the scientific approach, you don’t get into the situation in which people cannot agree on what is
right. I was impressed by how quickly some people picked up these methods.
The excerpts have been edited minimally, but irrelevant details have been excised so as not to
waste the readers’ time. I want to thank everyone who wrote; they have helped me to improve the
book. I can’t get over the fact that readers keep writing the book for me (i.e., I could insert their
remarks in my book, and they would fit perfectly!). In the following, I have not selected just the
flattering remarks; I chose material that seemed significant (educational), whether positive or
critical. Entries in [….] are my comments:
1. [From a Christian Minister]
This book is the Piano Bible. I have made such tremendous progress since purchasing it [1st edition
book]. I continue to recommend it to others.
6

2. [In Jan., 2003, I received this email (with permission)]
My name is Marc, and I am 17 years old. I just started playing the piano about a month ago and have
been reading your book, The Fundamentals of Piano Practice. . . . I do not have an instructor yet, but
am in the process of looking for one . . . . [followed by a series of precocious questions for a young
person with so little piano experience. I answered his questions as well as I could; then in May,
2004, I received this astounding email]
I don’t quite expect you to remember me, but I sent you an email a little more than a year ago. . . I
would like to let you know how piano has been coming along for me using your method. I began
playing the piano about Christmas of 2002, using your method from the beginning. Mid-March of
2003, I entered my high school’s concerto competition for fun and experience – not in the hopes of
winning their $500 scholarship. I unexpectedly won first place, competing against more seasoned
pianists of up to 10 yrs. It did shock the judges when I told them I had been playing for 3 months. A
few days ago, I won this year’s competition, as well. In other words, progress has come very
quickly. Such progress is one of the greatest motivators (aside from the general love of music), so I
can now see myself playing – and improving in – the piano for the rest of my life. And, though I
must give my teachers credit as well, your method is my foundation upon which they build, and I
believe it is the main reason for my progress. However, I still consider myself a beginner . . . . My
website has all of the recordings which I have made to date (18). . . . recently, I have been re-
recording Chopin’s “Raindrop” prelude, Scarlatti’s K.466, and Bach’s Invention in F major. . . . My
next recording will be Bach’s Sinfonia in E minor, and I plan to have that done by the end of next
week. Your book is far more than any lover of music and the piano could expect, and I cannot thank
you enough for the help you have given to me and so many other aspiring pianists . . . . [Go to the
website and listen to those amazing recordings!! You can even find him at the Music Download web
site (search Marc McCarthy).]
3. [From a respected, experienced piano teacher.]
I just skimmed your new section [on parallel set exercises] and thought I’d share my initial reaction.
As the Queen Regent of Exercise-Haters, I’ve lobbied loud and strong for the criminalization of
Hanon et al, and was at first aghast to think you may have joined the downtrodden masses of the
pseudo-voodoo-esque practitioners, hopelessly, helplessly, repeating, repeating, . . . . Anyway, to get
to the point, I do see a point of merit in your approach, IF IF IF the student follows your
COMPLETE directions and uses the described key combinations as a diagnostic tool – NOT to
repeat each and every combination as a daily routine. As a diagnostic tool and subsequent remedy,
you’ve succeeded marvelously! There was something familiar about your exercises, so I dug around
at the studio today and found the Technische Studien by Louis Plaidy, Edition Peters, first printing
ca 1850. Although Plaidy’s philosophy concerning the use of his exercises is much different from
yours, the actual notes printed on the page follow nearly to the letter (tee, hee, I should say to the
note) what you have described in your exercise chapter. Plaidy’s exercises were highly respected in
Europe throughout the late 1800’s and were used during that time at the Conservatory in Leipzig.
Plaidy himself was quite a sought-after instructor, with several of his (students were) accepted into
Liszt’s inner circle and/or having some sort of success on the concert stage. You’re in the company
of greatness!
4. I am curious to know if you know of the work of Guy Maier. Does his approach with “impulse”
practice of 5 finger patterns go along with the “parallel sets” you mention? Maier does use the
principle of repeating one note with each finger as the others are held quietly at the key surface as
one of the 5 finger exercises. Thinking Fingers was one of the books of exercises Maier wrote with
Herbert Bradshaw in the early 1940s. One of his first 5 finger exercises that seems to mirror what
7

you have said about “quads” repetitions on one note using one finger is as follows:
a. Single fingers in repeated note impulses of 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 16.
b. Practice each finger separately, depress other keys lightly or hold fingers silently at key top
position.
c. Using CDEFG in right hand, place 5 fingers on these notes one octave above middle C, right hand
thumb on C.
d. Similarly with left hand, one octave below middle C, with fifth finger on C.
e. Exercise hands separately; starting with right hand thumb play one impulse C, then release, then
two impulses, etc., up to 16. Repeat with each finger, then do the left hand.
[See my Exercise section III.7b; it is amazing how we independently arrived at groups of “quads”
(four repetitions), up to 4 quads (16 repetitions) for this exercise which is almost identical to my
Exercise #1.]
f. Beginners will have to do the impulses slowly, working up to full speed (and here I think your
“quads” come into play – so many repetitions per second is the goal).
Maier mentions 16 as his limit. He gives a great many patterns for using this approach to 5 finger
impulse exercises, in Book 1 and Book 2 of Thinking Fingers published by Belwin Mills Inc., NY,
NY in 1948. I think Maier was striving to help students get the facility they needed without the
endless repetitions of Hanon, Pischna, et al.
5. Please send me your book – I’ve been a piano teacher for over 50 years, still eager to learn.
6. [This testimonial is an eye opener: it teaches us about one of the most frequently misdiagnosed
problems that stops us from playing fast.]
At a young age, I started, and then quit piano. Then as a teenager, I went to a [famous] conservatory
and tried for years to acquire technique but failed miserably and ended up with an engineering
career. Years later, I have returned to piano (Clavinova) and am trying to do what I failed to do years
ago. One of the reasons I stopped practicing is that my wife and son would get irritated when they
heard me repeat passages over and over; the Clavinova allows me to practice guiltlessly at any hour.
I read your web page and was fascinated. Wish I had thought of some of your ideas years ago. I have
a question and I can’t seem to get an answer that makes any sense, yet it is such a basic question. I
was taught that when you play piano, you support the weight of your arm on each finger that plays.
Gravity. You never push down, you must be relaxed. So I asked my teachers how to play pianissimo.
The answer was that you play closer to the keys. This does not work for me. [Long discussion of
various methods of trying to play pianissimo with arm weight and why they don’t work. Seems he
can play pianissimo only by consciously lifting his hands off the keys. Also, since everything tends
to come out forte, speed is a problem.] Would you kindly answer this question for me? What does
one do with ones arm weight when one plays pianissimo? I have read many books about playing the
piano and have spoken with many accomplished pianists. It is one thing to know how to play
anything and it is quite another to be able to teach someone how to play. [I could not have said this
any better!] Your writings are brilliant and in many ways revolutionary, I knew instinctively that if
anyone could help me you could.
[After such a compliment, I had to do something, so I read the account of his difficulties carefully
and came to the conclusion that he must, after so many years of trying, be unwittingly pushing down
on the piano, almost as if he were hypnotized. I told him to find a way to see if he was actually
pushing down – not an easy task. Then came this reply.]
Thank you for your response. Truth is best examined through extremes. Your suggestion gave me
the idea that maybe I should ALWAYS play like I play MY pianissimo – by lifting my hands off the
keys. I rushed to my Hanon, and YES! I can play much faster! I quickly rushed to the Bach Prelude
II that I could never play to speed (144) and I always had troubles getting the fingers to land together
8

when playing fast, and at speeds above 120 the fingers were landing like one note together. No
fumbles, no strain. Not only that, I can play piano or forte as fast as I want. It feels so incredibly
EASY! Just discovered it now! I can’t believe this. [Long discussion of how, through the years, he
had come to equate arm weight with pushing down, mainly caused by a fear of not understanding the
teacher who was a strict, arm weight disciplinarian. This is actually something I have been very
suspicious of, about the arm weight method: that so much emphasis on arm weight and overly strict
discipline might cause some type of neurosis or misunderstanding – perhaps even some type of
hypnosis.] A huge wall just crumbled and now after so many years of thought and hours of practice
(I practiced up to 10 hours a day at the conservatory and still only memorized music without ever
improving my technique) and now I can see beyond. I discovered that I have the ability to play faster
than I ever dreamed I could (just tried the C major scale and I was shocked that this was me playing)
with full range of sound that I want WITHOUT TENSION. [A long description of all the new things
he is now doing and comparing them to his previous years of struggles and criticisms from others.] I
have you to thank for this. Yours was the only book I have ever read that offered enough variation
from the mainline to get me to finally free my mind from a huge misconception. I was pushing
down, not letting go. My arms simply don’t weigh a ton, but they are free. Because I was afraid of
my teacher and was obsessed with the weight of my arms, I was subconsciously bearing down. I
never dared play PPP for her. I knew how, but I was certain it was the wrong technique. [I am afraid
this happens frequently with youngsters; they don’t understand the teacher but are afraid to ask, and
end up assuming the wrong thing.] What she should have told me was DON’T EVER PUSH
DOWN; instead, I fixated on the weight of my arms as being key to everything. [A youngster must
push down to put any “weight” on his arms! How are you going to explain that this is wrong to a
child who hasn’t studied physics?] She also never allowed me to play quickly. [This is another
comment I have heard from students of strict arm weight teachers – speed is a no-no until certain
milestones are achieved; although we must exercise caution when practicing for speed, slowing
down is not the quickest way to speed.] Because I was tense, and she said I would never play quickly
if I’m tense. In your book you say that we have to play fast to discover technique. I was never
allowed to! Your book and your email freed the chains in my mind that held me captive for all these
years. Thank you so very much. I cannot describe how grateful I am to you and your insight.
[Although my comments seem to be directed against the arm weight school, that is not the case –
similar difficulties apply to any teaching based on insufficient knowledge in the hands of strict
disciplinarian teachers. Unfortunately, a large number of piano teachers has historically adopted
inflexible teaching methods because of a lack of a theoretical understanding and rational
explanations. For systematic treatments of speed, see sections II.13 and especially III.7.i]
7. I found your book on the internet and consider myself very lucky. Thank you very much for
making such a great effort on describing the piano technique and practice habits that make sense. I
am a piano teacher. I’ve only started to read the book and have already applied some practice
techniques with my students. They liked it and I liked it too. The practice becomes so much more
interesting. Do you know the book called “The Amateur Pianist’s Companion” by James Ching,
published by Keith Prowse Music Publishing Co., 1956, London. This book may be out of print, but
I found it second hand at:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/abe/BookSearch
You might be interested because “the detail of correct postures, movement and conditions as
outlined in this book are the result of extensive researches into the physiological-mechanics of piano
technique carried out by the author in conjunction with Professor H. Hartridge, Professor of
Physiology, and H. T. Jessop, Lecturer in Mechanics and Applied Mathematics, at the University of
London”.
9

8. I am so grateful that I found your web site. I am an adult piano player, that was taught all wrong,
when I was young. I am still trying to unlearn my bad techniques and habits. I now take lessons from
a very good teacher.
9. A few weeks ago I downloaded your book from the Internet and have been trying it out. I’m about
halfway through and a long way from fully applying everything, but I’m so pleased with the results
up to now that I thought I’d give some spontaneous feedback.
Firstly some background. I studied piano up to an advanced level and started a music degree, which I
dropped after a year to study math. After graduation I was an enthusiastic amateur, but over the last
20 years my playing has become less frequent, mainly due to my frustration at a lack of progress,
convinced that I would never be able to find the hours of exercise needed to be able to play better.
I was looking for some hints for buying a piano and came across your site. After reading a couple of
chapters I downloaded the whole thing and started trying it out. This is not the first time I have tried
to improve with a book or advice from a teacher, but I’m a sucker for punishment. Here are my
experiences after three weeks. [Note how quickly people can learn and immediately make use of
these methods.]
I’ve been concentrating on studying 4 pieces which are very dear to me:
- Ravel’s Prelude
- Chopin Prelude no. 26 in Ab major
- Poulenc Novelette no. 1
- Ravel Alborada del Graziosa from Miroirs
The Ravel Prelude is a small piece of no apparent technical difficulty. This is a piece that I had
always played on sight, but never really well. There is a crossed hands section in the middle with
some exquisite dissonance that poses some difficulties, but that’s about it. I applied the practice
methods in the book to this piece and it suddenly came alive with far more nuance than I had ever
credited it. It’s anything but the throwaway I thought it was, but without proper practice methods it
will always seem that way.
The Poulenc Novelette is one of the pieces that I have played at least once a week for 20 years and
am very fond of. I’ve never really played this fully to my satisfaction, but I’d always assumed that
this was due to a lack of exercise time. Using your suggestions I started analyzing what was wrong.
Aside from some obvious flubs that had never really been learnt correctly the most surprising result
was that it was impossible for me to keep in time to the metronome!! Some more detailed analysis
revealed the cause – a lot of Poulenc’s writing requires rapid and awkward shifts of hand position
with melodies that need to be sustained across these shifts. The bad habit that I had learnt was to
“grab” at the keys during these shifts, hence destroying the melody line and gradually speeding up
the piece. The revelation to me was that the problem could not be fixed by practicing with the
metronome! It could only be fixed by analyzing this problem and working out a strategy for dealing
with the shifts. Now I am very satisfied with the way I play and even have a lot of time left over to
consider the music.
Alborada del Graziosa is a case apart. This is a fiendishly difficult piece which I had tried to learn in
the past, but was unable to bring most of the passages up to the correct speed. My assumption had
always been that more practice was necessary and that I could never find the time. Again – applied
the methods in your book to learning this and, after three weeks, I’m not yet there but I can now play
most of it up to speed and reasonably musically as well. I reckon I’ll have it all in my fingers in a
couple of weeks then I can concentrate on the music.
Last but not least, the Chopin prelude. I learnt this for an exam when I was 16 yrs. old, but have
never really played it since. I started relearning it and made a couple of discoveries. Firstly I had
never played it up to speed, even for the exam, so this was something I needed to fix. However this
just didn’t work – I discovered that for two reasons I couldn’t speed up. Firstly I had learnt to fake
10

the legato with the pedal – but once you speed up you just get a jumble of sound and if I try to pedal
correctly I just couldn’t get the legato. Secondly the middle section contains some highly stretched
broken chords in the left hand that shift on each beat. Played slowly this is ok, but at speed it
becomes fiendishly difficult and even painful to play. Basically I have had to relearn this piece –
new fingerings, new hand positions, different pedaling etc. Now I can play this at any speed I like
with no stress. I found this an interesting proof of what you say in the book – this is a very small
piece that seems fairly easy, but at speed it completely changes character and will frustrate any
student using the intuitive method, unless they are blessed with a span of over 1.5 octaves.
In closing I’d like to thank you for writing the book and even more for making it available on the
Internet. I have in the past spent enormous amounts of money on highly recommended teachers and
not one of them, although I have no doubt that they understood these techniques themselves, could
teach me how to practice.
10. I think your book is worth my reading although many of the “rules” (such as hands separate
practice, chord attack . . . ) I have learned from our teachers. In my logic even if just one rule I
learned from your book works, it is worth far more than the $15 I paid for the 1st Edition. I also like
the section on how to prepare for recitals. I agree that practicing full speed before the recital is a “no
no”. I discussed this with my teacher and we see several reasons why [extended discussions on why
playing full speed on day of recital can lead to problems, not excerpted here because I can’t
understand them]. Thus practice fast before the recital is a no-win situation. Finally, I would like to
see more about how to gain speed and how to put hands together more efficiently. Some music
(Bach’s Inventions come to mind) is easy to play hands separate but difficult hands together.
Overall, I enjoy reading your book.
11. I encourage everyone to try hands separate practice as stated in your book. While studying with
Robert Palmieri at Kent State University, he had me do this as part of my practice. It helped me get
past the amateur stage and on to much better technique and musical playing.
12. Based on what I was able to glean from your web site, I applied one of the principles – hands
separate playing at full tempo -- on a couple of difficult passages in two completely different types
of songs I was playing, one a church hymn, the other a jazz tune. Interestingly, I found that when I
got to church yesterday and it came time to accompany the congregation, the difficult portions I had
learned by the hands separate method were among the most solid and sure of the entire hymn. It
seemed that each time I came to one of those difficult spots, a mental trigger went off that alerted my
brain/nervous system to execute those parts with particular care and accuracy. Same goes for the
difficult spot in the jazz tune, which is now no longer a problem at all.
13. About one and a half years ago I ordered the book Fundamentals of Piano Practice from you. I
just wanted to personally thank you for your contribution. It has helped me a great deal! I never
knew how to practice before your book because I was never taught. I took lessons, mind you, but my
teachers never taught me how to practice. Isn’t that amazing! I suspect that it is commonplace. The
most beneficial piece of advice for me is your suggestion to play at a much slower speed on the last
run-through of the piece you are practicing. I must admit developing this habit has been most
difficult for me. But I am trying. I find that slow practice is a big help. Also, practicing just a
measure or two at a time has been valuable! I wished that memorizing music came easier; if you
have any new ideas on memorizing, please let me know. [I have added considerable material on
memorizing since this correspondence.]
14. Thank you for answering my piano practice questions. I must tell you that there is one
11

particularly tricky Prelude of Chopin’s – the one in C Sharp Minor. When I received your book, I
mastered this Prelude more than up to its rapid speed in one day. Granted it is a short one, but many
pianists wrestle with it. This experience has been very encouraging.
15. I have been playing piano for 8 years now and bought your book about a year ago. After reading
this book, my 1 hour a day practice sessions are much more productive. I also learn new pieces much
faster. You show insight on the following:
Correct methods of practice.
How to start a new piece.
Slow practice (when to do it and why).
When to play faster than normal.
How to get ready for a performance.
I don’t agree with everything you write, but I read your book about every couple of months so I
don’t lose sight of the proper way to practice. [This is a common refrain: my book is such a dense
compilation that you need to read it several times.]
16. After one week, I was very pleased with myself and the method since I thought that I had
successfully MEMORIZED!!! A whole page HS. This was an absolutely unknown achievement as
far as I was concerned. But problems arose when I tried to put the two hands together, which I then
tried to do whilst learning the rest of the piece. I also found on trying to learn the rest of the piece
that I had ‘memorized’ the first page wrongly, and I ended up writing notes to myself. [This
probably happens more often than most of us would like to admit – when you have difficulty in
getting up to speed HT, CHECK THE SCORE! The cause could be an error in reading the music.
Errors in rhythm are particularly difficult to detect.] Your book HAS given me exactly what I was
looking for – i.e. some basis for working out how to learn more quickly and efficiently. No teacher
has ever been able to give me any clue as to how to go about learning a piece. The only suggestion I
have ever had is, ‘Have a look at this and see what you can make of it’, and as for how to improve
the accuracy and/or speed, ‘Keep practicing, practicing, . . .’ WHAT????? I’ve now got answers to
these vital questions. Thanks.
17. I have been reading your book on your site and have been getting a lot out of it. You have
inspired me to practice the way I have always known was the best way but never had the patience to
do it. What you outline about even chords before trying to play fast lines sure has helped me a lot. I
think my inability to play beyond a certain speed is due to a basic unevenness in my fingers that I
have never really addressed. I always would just say, “I just can’t play fast well”. I have worked up a
small portion of an etude using the chord attack approach and can actually play it fairly smoothly
and evenly! I am curious about your theories on absolute pitch development. The camps seem very
divided on that subject: genetics vs. environment. [Since this correspondence, I added the parallel set
exercises for chord practice, and have written an expanded section on acquiring absolute pitch.]
18. I just wanted to let you know how much my family of musicians has been enjoying your book on
piano playing. Without doubt, you set forth some innovative, unorthodox ideas in your book that
really do work in spite of the fact they sound extreme by most practicing piano teachers’ standards.
[I agree!] The method of practicing hands separately seems to be working quite well as well as the
method of not playing everything soooooo slowly! Also, putting less emphasis on the metronome
has also been proving beneficial. Certainly, your methods have helped speed up the entire learning
process on new pieces, and now I can’t imagine how we ever managed before without knowing
these “musical truths” of yours. Thank you again for writing such a marvelous JEWEL of a book!
12

19. I read the online sections and think every piano teacher should be required to have read this
book. I’m one of the unfortunate who spent 7 years practicing scales/Hanon without any hints about
relaxation or efficient practice methods. I started to pick good practice hints from internet discussion
groups and various books, but your book is by far the most comprehensive and convincing source I
have found yet.
20. I am a piano player at an intermediate level. A month ago I downloaded parts of your book and I
must say in one word that it is fabulous! Being a scientist I appreciate the structural way the subject
matter is presented and explained on a down to earth level. It changed my way of looking at piano
practice. Especially the part on memorizing helped me already to reduce memorizing efforts
considerably. My private teacher (a performing soloist) uses bits and pieces from your method.
However this teacher is a Czerny addict and never heard of thumb over. You need to spend more
attention to the thumb over, especially how to smoothly join parallel sets. I gave a copy of the book
to my teacher and I recommend it to everybody.
[A year later]
I already wrote you once more than a year ago about your fantastic book on the internet. The
methods really work. Using your methods I was able to learn and master some pieces much faster.
Your methods really work for pieces that are notoriously difficult to memorize, like some Mozart
sonatas, and pieces of which my piano teacher said are difficult to memorize like the Bach
Inventions or some preludes of Chopin. Piece of cake using your method. I am now tackling the
Fantaisie Impromptu and this seemingly impossible piece appears to be within my reach! I also like
your contribution about the subconscious mind. I wonder whether you know the book of J. D. Sarno:
The Mindbody Prescription. This book treats the subconscious exactly like you do. While working
on my PhD thesis, I solved many seemingly unsolvable theoretical enigmas just like you did. I fed it
to my brain and some days later the solution just popped out. So what you write is dead right!
21. Your suggestions on how to memorize music by creating associations (a story, for example)
sounded silly to me. But when I was practicing, I couldn’t help asking what I could associate with a
certain musical phrase that had a problematic F chord. “Give yourself an F for failing” popped into
my mind. I thought that was not very encouraging thinking! But now every time I come to that
phrase I remember the F. I’ve got it. Sheesh! Thanks. Your book is very useful. It mirrors my
teacher’s suggestions, but with more detail. When I can’t play the piano nothing is more fun than
reading about playing the piano . . . . . . . . . In the final weeks before my last recital, my teacher
suggested playing through my mistakes during practice. Then going back and working on the
problem measures, much as you suggest, though that was the only time that it came up. She says
most people will not even know the mistake was made unless it interrupts the music. Her point is to
not interrupt the music and to correct the problem at the source by going back to the measure. I find
that I do correct myself (stutter) a lot; I’m going to focus on not doing it. This advice is not intuitive,
you know. One corrects mistakes naturally when they happen. But I can see that constantly doing
that is actually building the mistakes in.
22. I stumbled on your online book on piano practice when I was searching for articles on absolute
pitch. When I read it, I was impressed by the scientific approach used. Especially the concept of
“speed wall” and how to overcome it helped me a lot. I found your book at just the right time. Many
problems I encounter in playing the piano are discussed in your book. Many piano teachers don’t
seem to have a clear scientific concept on how to handle specific problems of intermediate piano
players. So I am working through the book, section by section with good success. There are several
things I am missing in your book. In some chapters, pictures would be very helpful, such as correct
hand position, thumb over, parallel set exercises. Something like a chronological table for the
13

practice routine might be useful. “Practicing cold” would be on position number one, for example.
You always mention the importance of WHEN to do WHAT. Could you order the exercises you
explain in a way that makes them most efficient? Anyway, I want to express my deep appreciation
for your project!
23. All this winter, I continued my personal piano learning and I must say that every word in your
book is true. I have been studying piano for several years and made only average progress. Because I
love piano and romantic music, that makes me sometimes crazy and deeply frustrated. After
application of your methods from about 1 year ago, I made tremendous progress. I am now working
on several pieces at once, compositions I never thought before that I can play. It’s wonderful. Today,
I have a small repertoire that I can play with great satisfaction.
24. I have ordered and received your 1st Ed book and have read sections of your 2nd Ed. I have
found your information to be extremely valuable. I am sending you this email because I was hoping
to get some advice on my upcoming recital. I am extremely nervous but after reading your sections
on recitals I understand their importance. I wish I had your notes on memorizing when I started
because it has taken me an extremely long time to finally memorize it (the improper way). I am not
sure how to perform the piece for the recital. On the few occasions that I played for others I would
stumble on certain sections because I would forget where I was in the piece because of nerves. This
is my first recital so I don’t know what to expect. Any tips or advice on practice routines would be
much appreciated.
[After a few exchanges about what he was playing, etc., I gave him a scenario of typical practice
routines for recital preparation and what to expect during the recital. After the recital, I received the
following email.]
I just wanted to let you know that my recital went extremely well considering it was my first time.
The advice you gave me was very helpful. I was nervous starting the piece but then I became
extremely focused (just like you said would happen). I was even able to concentrate musically rather
than just going through the motions. The audience was impressed at my ability to do it from memory
(just like you said they would). You were right in saying that a positive experience like this would
help me with my confidence. I feel great about the experience! My teacher is from [a famous
Conservatory], and teaches Hanon exercises and other technique material. That is why your book
was and is a gold mine for me. I want to be able to play the pieces that I enjoy without having to
spend 20 years to learn them. But I also feel that I need a teacher.
25. [Finally, hundreds of communications of the type:]
I must say that you book is excellent . . . . . . . .
Since reading C. C. Chang’s Fundamentals of Piano Practice, I’ve been trying out his
suggestions; thanks to those who recommended it and to Mr. Chang for taking the time to write it
and make it available.
Etc., etc.
26. Since July, 2004 (cut-off date of these testimonials) I have continued to receive similar emails,
especially from students at music conservatories. Most gratifying are the increasing number of
teachers who say that they are successfully using these methods to teach, and that their students are
happier and making faster progress.
14

Abbreviations and Frequently Used Phrases
Sections (…) are in Chapter One unless otherwise noted
ABBREVIATIONS
AP = Absolute Pitch (III.12)
ET = Equal Temperament (Ch. Two, 2c & 6c)
FFP = Flat Finger Position (III.4b)
FI = Fantaisie Impromptu by Chopin (II.25, III.2&5)
FPD = Fast Play Degradation (II.25, near end)
HS = Hands Separate (II.7)
HT = Hands Together (II.25)
K-II = Kirnberger II Temperament (Ch. Two, 2c & 6b)
LH = Left Hand
MP = Mental Play (see Index)
NG = Nucleation Growth (III.15)
PPI = Post Practice Improvement (II.15)
PS = Parallel Sets (see below)
RH = Right Hand
SW = Speed Wall (III.7i)
TO = Thumb Over (III.5)
TU = Thumb Under (III.5)
WT = Well Temperament (Ch. Two, 2c)
Frequently Used Phrases
Cartwheel Method (III.5, in Arpeggios section)
Chord Attack (II.9)
Conjunction (II.8)
Curl Paralysis (III.4b)
Intuitive Method (II.1)
Mental Play (II.12, III.6j)
Parallel Sets (II.11, III.7b, see Index)
Pyramid Position = "flat finger" position (III.4b)
Quiet Hand (III.6l)
Segmental Practice (II.6)
Speed Wall (III.7i)
Spider position = "flat finger" position (III.4b)
15

Preface
This is the best book ever written on how to practice at the piano! The revelation of this
book is that there are highly efficient practice methods that can accelerate your learning rate, by up
to 1,000 times if you have not yet learned the most efficient practice methods (see IV.5). What is
surprising is that, although these methods were known since the earliest days of piano, they were
seldom taught because only a few teachers knew about them and these knowledgeable teachers never
bothered to disseminate this knowledge.
I realized in the 1960s that there was no good book on how to practice at the piano. The
best I could find was Whiteside's book, which was an utter disappointment; see my review of this
book in References. As a graduate student at Cornell University, studying until 2 AM just to keep up
with some of the brightest students from all over the world, I had little time to practice piano. I
needed to know what the best practice methods were, especially because whatever I was using wasn't
working although I had taken piano lessons diligently for 7 years in my youth. How concert pianists
could play the way they did was an absolute mystery to me. Was it just a matter of sufficient effort,
time, and talent, as most people seem to think? If the answer were "Yes", it would have been
devastating for me because it meant that my musical talent level was so low that I was a hopeless
case because I had put in sufficient effort and time, at least in my youth, practicing up to 8 hours a
day on weekends.
The answers came to me gradually in the 1970's when I noticed that our two daughters' piano
teacher was teaching some surprisingly efficient methods of practice that were different from
methods taught by the majority of piano teachers. Over a period of more than 10 years, I kept track
of these efficient practice methods and came to the realization that the most important factor for
learning to play the piano is the practice methods. Effort, time, and talent were merely secondary
factors! In fact, "talent" is difficult to define and impossible to measure; it had become a meaningless
word we use to hide our ignorance of the true definition of effective talent. In fact, proper practice
methods can make practically anybody into a "talented" musician! I saw this happen all the time at
the hundreds of student recitals and piano competitions that I had witnessed.
There is now a growing realization that “talent”, “prodigy”, or “genius” is more created
than born (see Olson) -- Mozart is possibly the most prominent example of the "Mozart Effect".
Some have renamed this "The Beethoven Effect" which might be more appropriate because Mozart
had some personality weaknesses, etc., that sometimes marred his otherwise glorious music, whereas
psychologically, Beethoven composed the most enlightening music. Listening to music is only one
component of the complex Mozart Effect. For pianists, making music has a larger effect on mental
development. Thus good practice methods will not only accelerate the learning rate but also help
to develop the musical brain, as well as raise the intelligence level, especially for the young. The
learning rate is accelerated, compared to the slower methods (it's like the difference between an
accelerating vehicle and one going at a constant speed). Therefore, in a matter of a few years,
students without proper practice methods will fall hopelessly behind. This makes those students with
good practice methods appear far more talented than they really are because they can learn in
minutes or days what it takes the others months or years. The most important aspect of learning
piano is brain development and higher intelligence. Memory is a component of intelligence and
we know how to improve memory (see III.6). This book also teaches how to play music in our
minds – this is called Mental Play (II.12), which naturally leads to absolute pitch and the ability to
compose music. These are the skills that distinguished the greatest musicians and led us to label
them as geniuses; yet we show here that they are not difficult to learn. Until now, the musician’s
world was restricted to the few “gifted” artists; we now know that it is a universe in which we can all
participate.
16

Practice methods can make the difference between a lifetime of futility, and a concert
pianist in less than 10 years for young, dedicated students. Using the right practice methods, it
takes only a few years for a diligent student at any age to start playing meaningful pieces from
famous composers. The saddest truth of the past two centuries has been that, although most of these
practice methods were discovered and rediscovered thousands of times, they were never documented
and students either had to rediscover them by themselves or, if lucky, learn them from teachers who
knew some of them. The best example of this lack of documentation is the "teachings" of Franz
Liszt. There are a dozen Franz Liszt societies and they have produced hundreds of publications.
Numerous books have been written about Liszt (see Eigeldinger, etc., in References), and
thousands of teachers have claimed to teach the "Franz Liszt method", complete with documented
teaching lineages. Yet there is not one publication that describes what that method is! There are
endless accounts of Liszt's accomplishments and technical prowess, yet there is not one reference on
the details of how he got that way. Evidence in the literature indicates that even Liszt could not
describe how he acquired technique; he could only demonstrate how he played. Since piano
pedagogy has succeeded in losing track of how the greatest pianist acquired his technique, it is little
wonder that we did not have a textbook on learning piano. Can you imagine learning math,
economics, physics, history, biology, or anything else without a textbook, and (if you are lucky) only
your teacher's memory as a guide? Without textbooks and documentation, our civilization would not
have advanced beyond that of jungle tribes whose knowledge base had been passed on by word of
mouth. That's basically where piano pedagogy has been for 200 years!
There are many books on learning piano (see References), but none of them qualify as
textbooks for practice methods, which is what students need. These books tell you what skills you
need (scales, arpeggios, trills, etc.) and the more advanced books describe the fingerings, hand
positions, movements, etc., to play them, but none of them provide a reasonably complete,
systematic set of instructions on how to practice. Most beginner music books provide a few such
instructions, but many of those instructions are wrong -- a good example is the amateurish
advertisement on how to become “The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises" in the title of the Hanon
exercises (see section III.7.h of Chapter One). In piano pedagogy, the most essential tool for the
teacher and the student – a reasonably complete set of instructions on how to practice, had been
missing until this book was written.
I did not realize how revolutionary the methods of this book were until after I finished my
first draft of this book in 1994. These methods were better than what I had been using previously
and, for years, I had been applying them with good, but not remarkable, results. I experienced my
first awakening after finishing that book, when I really read my own book and followed the methods
systematically -- and experienced their incredible efficiency. So, what was the difference between
knowing parts of the method and reading a book? In writing the book, I had to take the various parts
and arrange them into an organized structure that served a specific purpose and that had no missing
essential components. As a scientist, I knew that organizing the material into a logical structure was
the only way to write a useful manual. It is well known in science that most discoveries are made
while writing the research reports, not when conducting the research. It was as if I had most the
parts of a terrific car, but without a mechanic to assemble the car, find any missing parts, and tune it
up, those parts weren't much good for transportation. I became convinced of this book’s potential to
revolutionize piano teaching and, in 1999, decided to provide it free to the world on the internet. In
this way, it could be updated as my research progressed and whatever was written would be
immediately available to the public. In retrospect, this book is the culmination of over 50 years of
research that I had conducted on piano practice methods since my first piano lessons.
Why are these practice methods so revolutionary? For detailed answers, you will have to read
this book. Here, I briefly present a few overviews of how these miraculous results are achieved and
to explain why they work. I did not originate most of the basic ideas in this book. They were
17

invented and re-invented umpteen times in the last 200 years by every successful pianist; otherwise,
they would not have had such success. The basic framework for this book was constructed using
the teachings of Mlle. Yvonne Combe, the teacher of our two daughters who became accomplished
pianists (they have won many first prizes in piano competitions and averaged over 10 recitals a year
each for many years; both have absolute pitch, and now enjoy composing music). Other parts of this
book were assembled from the literature and my research using the internet. My contributions are in
gathering these ideas, organizing them into a structure, and providing some understanding of why
they work. This understanding is critical for the success of the method. Piano has often been taught
like religion: Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith that, if you followed procedures suggested by a
"master" teacher, you will succeed; Hope that, "practice, practice, practice" will lead you to the
rainbow, and Charity that your sacrifices and paying your dues will perform miracles. This book is
different – a method is not acceptable unless the students understand why it works so that they can
adapt it to their specific needs. Finding the correct understanding is not easy because you can't just
pluck an explanation out of thin air (it will be wrong) -- you must have enough expertise in that field
of knowledge in order to arrive at the correct explanation. Providing a correct explanation
automatically filters out the wrong methods. This may explain why even experienced piano teachers,
whose educations were narrowly concentrated in music, can have difficulty in providing the proper
understanding and will frequently give wrong explanations for even correct procedures. In this
regard, my career/educational background in industrial problem solving, materials science (metals,
semiconductors, insulators), optics, acoustics, physics, electronics, chemistry, scientific reporting (I
have published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in major scientific journals and have been granted 6
patents), etc., have been invaluable for producing this book. These diverse requirements might
explain why nobody else was able to write this type of book. As a scientist, I have agonized over
how to concisely define “science” and argued endlessly over this definition with other scientists and
non-scientists. Because the scientific approach is so basic to this book, I have included a section on
“Scientific Approach to Piano Practice”, IV.2, Chapter One. Science is not just the theoretical world
of the brightest geniuses; it is the most effective way to simplify our lives. We need geniuses to
advance science; however, once developed, it is the masses that benefit from these advances.
What are some of these magical ideas that are supposed to revolutionize piano teaching?
Let's start with the fact that, when you watch famous pianists perform, they may be playing
incredibly difficult things, but they make them look easy. How do they do that? Fact is, they are
easy for them! Therefore, many of the learning tricks discussed here are methods for making
difficult things easy: not only easy, but often trivially simple. This is accomplished by practicing the
two hands separately and by picking short sections to practice, sometimes down to only one or two
notes. You can't make things any simpler than that! Accomplished pianists can also play incredibly
fast -- how do we practice to be able to play fast? Simple! By using the "chord attack" (II.9). Thus
one key to the success of the methods discussed here is the use of ingenious learning tricks that
are needed to solve specific problems.
Even with the methods described here, it may be necessary to practice difficult passages
hundreds of times and, once in a while, up to 10,000 times before you can play the most difficult
passages with ease. Now if you were to practice a Beethoven Sonata at, say, half speed (you are just
learning it), it would take about an hour to play through. Therefore, repeating it 10,000 times would
take 30 years, or almost half a lifetime, if you had, say, one hour per day to practice and practiced
only this sonata 7 days a week. Clearly, this is not the way to learn the sonata, although many
students use practice methods not too different from it. This book describes methods for identifying
just the few notes that you need to practice and then playing them in a fraction of a second, so that
you can repeat them 10,000 times in a few weeks (or even days for easier material), practicing them
for only about 10 minutes per day, 5 days per week – we have reduced the practice time from half a
lifetime to a few weeks.
18

This book discusses many more efficiency principles, such as practicing and memorizing at
the same time. During practice, each passage must be repeated many times and repetition is the
best way to memorize; therefore, it doesn't make sense not to memorize while practicing,
especially because this turns out to be the fastest way to learn. Have you ever wondered how every
concert pianist can memorize hours of repertoire? The answer is quite simple. Studies with super
memorizers (such a those who can memorize pages of phone numbers) have revealed that they are
able to memorize because they have developed memory algorithms onto which they can quickly
map the material to be memorized. For pianists, music is such an algorithm! You can prove this
by asking a pianist to memorize just one page of random notes, and to remember them for years.
This is impossible (without an algorithm) although this pianist may have no trouble memorizing
several 20 page Beethoven Sonatas, and still play them 10 years later. Thus what we thought was a
special talent of concert pianists turns out to be something anyone can do. Students who use the
methods of this book memorize and perform everything they learn, except when practicing sight
reading. This is why this book does not recommend exercises such as Hanon and Czerny, that are
not meant to be performed; by the same token, the Chopin Etudes are recommended. Practicing
something that wasn't meant to be performed is not only a waste of time but also destroys any
sense of music you originally had. We discuss all the major methods of memory, which empower
the pianist to perform feats that most people would expect only from "gifted musicians", such as
playing the composition in your head, away from the piano, or even writing the entire composition
from memory. If you can play every note in the composition from memory, there is no reason why
you can't write them all down! Such abilities are not for show or bragging rights, but are essential for
performing without flubs or memory lapses and come almost as automatic byproducts of these
methods, even for us ordinary folks with ordinary memory. Many students can play complete
compositions but can't write them down or play them in their minds -- such students have only
partially memorized the compositions in a manner that is insufficient for performances. Inadequate
memory and lack of confidence are the main causes of nervousness. They wonder why they suffer
stage fright and why performing flawlessly is such a daunting task while Mozart could just sit down
and play.
Another example of helpful knowledge is relaxation and the use of gravity. The weight of
the arm is important not only as a reference force for uniform and even playing (gravity is always
constant), but also for testing the level of relaxation. The piano was designed with gravity as the
reference force because the human body evolved to match gravity exactly, which means that the
force needed to play the piano is about equal to the weight of the arm. When performing difficult
tasks, such as playing a challenging piano passage, the natural tendency is to tense up so that the
entire body becomes one contracted mass of muscle. Trying to move the fingers independently and
rapidly under such conditions is like trying to run a sprint with rubber bands wrapped around both
legs. If you can relax all unnecessary muscles, and use only the required muscles for just those
instants at which they are needed, you can play extremely fast, effortlessly, for long periods of time
without fatigue, and with more reserve strength than needed to produce the loudest sounds.
We will see that many “established teaching methods” are myths that can cause untold
misery to the student. Such myths survive because of a lack of rigorous scientific scrutiny. These
methods include: the curled finger position, thumb under method of playing scales, most finger
exercises, sitting high on the chair, “no pain, no gain”, slowly ramping up your speed, and liberal use
of the metronome. We not only explain why they are harmful but also provide the correct
alternatives, which are, respectively: flat finger positions, thumb over method, parallel sets (II.11,
III.7b), sitting lower on the chair, relaxation, acquiring speed by understanding "speed walls" (III.7i)
and identification of specific beneficial uses of the metronome. Speed walls are encountered when
you try to play a passage faster, but reach a maximum speed beyond which the speed will not
increase no matter how hard you practice. What causes speed walls, how many are there, and how
19

do you avoid or eliminate them? Answers: speed walls are the results of attempts to do the
impossible (you erect speed walls yourself by using incorrect practice methods), there are
effectively an infinite number of them, and you avoid them by using the correct practice methods.
One way of avoiding speed walls is not to build them in the first place, by knowing their causes
(stress, incorrect fingering or rhythm, lack of technique, practicing too fast, practicing hands together
[II.25] before you are ready, etc.). Another way is to come down in speed from “infinite speed” by
using the parallel sets (II.11), instead of increasing the speed gradually. If you can start at speeds
above the speed wall, there is no speed wall when you come down in speed.
This book frequently deals with one important point -- that the best piano practice methods
are surprisingly counter-intuitive. This point is paramount in piano pedagogy because it is the main
reason why the wrong practice methods tend to be used by students and teachers. If they weren't so
counter-intuitive, this book may not have been necessary. Consequently, we deal not only with what
you should do but also with what you should not do. These negative sections are not for criticizing
those who use the wrong methods but are necessary components of the learning process. The reason
why intuition fails is that the piano tasks are so complex, and there are so many ways to accomplish
them, that the probability of hitting the right method is nearly zero if you picked the simplest,
obvious ones. Here are four examples of counter-intuitive practice methods:
(1) Separating the hands for practice (II.7) is counter-intuitive because you need to practice
each hand, then both together, so that it looks like you have to practice three times instead of just
once hands together. Why practice hands separately, which you will never use in the end?
Approximately 80% of this book deals with why you need to practice hands separately. Hands
separate practice is the only way to rapidly increase speed and control without getting into trouble.
It allows you to work hard 100% of the time at any speed without fatigue, stress, or injury because
the method is based on switching hands as soon as the working hand begins to tire. Hands separate
practice is the only way in which you can experiment to find the correct hand motions for speed
and expression and it is the fastest way to learn how to relax. Trying to acquire technique hands
together is the main cause of speed walls, bad habits, injury, and stress.
(2) Practicing slowly hands together and gradually ramping up the speed is what we tend to
do intuitively, but it turns out to be one of the worst ways to practice because it wastes so much time
and you are training the hands to execute slow motions that are different from what you need at the
final speed. Some students compound the problem by using the metronome as a constant guide to
ramp up the speed or to keep the rhythm. This is one of the worst abuses of the metronome.
Metronomes should be used only briefly to check the timing (speed and rhythm). If over used, it
can lead to loss of your internal rhythm, loss of musicality, and bio-physical difficulties from over-
exposure to rigid repetition (the brain can actually start to counteract the metronome click and you
may either not hear the click or hear it at the wrong time). Technique for speed is acquired by
discovering new hand motions, not by speeding up a slow motion; i.e., the hand motions for
playing slowly and fast are different. This is why trying to speed up a slow motion leads to speed
walls -- because you are trying to do the impossible. Speeding up a slow play is like asking a horse
to speed up a walk to the speed of a gallop -- it can't. A horse must change from walk to trot to
canter and then to gallop. If you force a horse to walk at the speed of a canter, it will hit a speed wall
and will most likely injure itself by kicking its own hoofs to shreds.
(3) In order to memorize well, and be able to perform well, you must practice slowly, even
after the piece can be played easily at speed. This is counter-intuitive because you always perform at
speed, so why practice slowly and waste so much time? Playing fast can be detrimental to
performance as well as to memory. Playing fast can cause “fast play degradation”, and the best way
to test your memory is to play slowly. Thus practicing the recital pieces at full speed on recital day
will result in a poor performance. This is one of the most counter-intuitive rules and is therefore
difficult to follow. How often have you heard the refrain, "I played awfully during my lesson
20

although I played so well this morning."? Therefore, although much of this book is oriented towards
learning to play at the correct speed, it is the proper use of slow play that is critical for accurate
memorization and for performing without mistakes. However, practicing slowly is tricky because
you should not practice slowly until you can play fast! Otherwise, you would have no idea if your
slow play motion is right or wrong. This problem is solved by practicing hands separately and
getting up to speed quickly. After you know the hand motions for fast play, you can practice slowly
at any time.
(4) Most people feel uncomfortable trying to memorize something they can't play, so they
instinctively learn a piece first, and then try to memorize it. It turns out that you can save a lot of
time by memorizing first and then practicing from memory (we are talking about technically
challenging music that is too difficult to sight read). Moreover, for reasons explained in this book,
those who memorize after learning the piece never succeed in memorizing well. They will be
haunted forever by memory problems. Therefore, good memorizing methods must be an integral part
of any practice procedure; memorizing is a necessity, not a luxury.
These four examples should give the reader some idea of what I mean by counter-intuitive
practice methods. What is surprising is that the majority of good practice methods is counter-
intuitive to most people. Fortunately, the geniuses who came before us have found the better practice
methods and you will see them here.
Why does the fact, that the correct methods are counter-intuitive, lead to disaster? Even
students who learned the correct methods (but were never taught what not to do) can drift back into
intuitive methods simply because their brains keep telling them that they should use the intuitive
methods (that's the definition of intuitive methods). This of course happens to teachers as well.
Parents fall for it every time! Thus mere parental involvement can sometimes be counterproductive,
because the parents must also be informed. This is why this book makes every effort to identify, and
to point out the follies of, the intuitive methods. Thus many teachers discourage parental
involvement unless the parents can also attend the lessons. Left to their own devices, the majority of
students, teachers, and parents will gravitate towards the intuitive (wrong) methods. This is the main
reason why so many wrong methods are taught today, and why students need informed teachers and
proper textbooks. All piano teachers should use a textbook that explains practice methods; this
will free them from having to teach the mechanics of practicing and allow them to concentrate on
music where the teachers are most needed. The parents should also read the textbook because
parents are most susceptible to the pitfalls of intuitive methods.
Piano teachers generally fall into three categories: (A) private teachers who can't teach, (B)
private teachers that are very good, and (C) teachers at universities and conservatories. The last
group is usually fairly good because they are in an environment in which they must communicate
with one another. They are able to quickly identify the worst teaching methods and eliminate them.
Unfortunately, most students at conservatories are already quite advanced and so it is too late to
teach them basic practice methods. The (A) group of teachers consists mainly of individuals that do
not communicate well with other teachers and invariably use mostly intuitive methods; this explains
why they can't teach. By choosing only teachers that have web sites, you can eliminate many of the
poor teachers because these have at least learned to communicate. Groups (B) and (C) are fairly
familiar with the correct practice methods, though few know all of them because there has not been a
standardized textbook; on the other hand, most of them know a lot of useful details that aren't in this
book. There are precious few group (B) type teachers and the group (C) teachers generally accept
only advanced students. The problem with this situation is that most students start with the group (A)
teachers and never progress beyond novice or intermediate level and therefore never qualify for the
group (C) teachers. Thus the majority of beginner students give up in frustration although
practically all of them have the potential to become accomplished musicians. Moreover, this lack
of progress feeds the general misconception that learning piano is a lifetime of fruitless efforts,
21

which discourages the majority of parents and youngsters from considering piano lessons.
There is an intimate relationship between music and mathematics. Music, in many respects,
is a form of mathematics and the great composers explored and exploited this relationship. Most
basic theories of music can be expressed using mathematical terms. Harmony is a series of ratios,
and harmony gives rise to the chromatic scale, which is a logarithmic equation. Most music scales
are subsets of the chromatic scale, and chord progressions are the simplest relationships among these
subsets. I discuss some concrete examples of the use of mathematics in some of the most famous
compositions (section IV.4) and include all the topics for future music research (mathematical or
otherwise) in Section IV. It does not make sense to ask whether music is art or math; they are both
properties of music. Math is simply a way of measuring something quantitatively; therefore,
anything in music that can be quantified (such as time signature, thematic structure, etc.) can be
treated mathematically. Thus, although math is not necessary to an artist, music and mathematics are
inseparably intertwined and a knowledge of these relationships can often be useful (as demonstrated
by every great composer), and will become more useful as mathematical understanding of music
progressively catches up to music and as artists learn to take advantage of mathematics. Art is a
shortcut way of using the human brain to achieve results not achievable in any other way. Scientific
approaches to music only deal with the simpler levels of music that can be analytically treated:
science supports art. It is wrong to assume that science will eventually replace art or, on the other
extreme, that art is all you need for music; art should be free to incorporate anything that the artist
desires, and science can provide invaluable help.
Too many pianists are ignorant of how the piano works and what it means to tune in the
temperaments, or what it means to voice the piano. This is especially surprising because piano
maintenance directly affects (1) the ability to make music and (2) technical development. There are
many concert pianists who do not know the difference between Equal (P. 224) and Well
temperaments (P. 226) while some of the compositions they are playing (e.g. Chopin, Bach)
formally require the use of one or the other. When to use electronic pianos, when to change to a
higher quality (grand) piano, and how to recognize quality in a piano are critical decisions in the
career of any pianist. Therefore, this book contains a section on piano selection and a chapter on how
to tune your own piano. Just as electronic pianos are already always in tune, acoustic pianos must
soon become permanently in tune, for example, by using the thermal expansion coefficient of the
strings to electronically tune the piano (see Gilmore, Self-Tuning Piano). Today, practically all home
pianos are out of tune almost all the time because it starts to go out of tune the moment the tuner
leaves your house or if the room temperature or humidity changes. That's an unacceptable situation.
In future pianos, you will flick a switch and the piano will tune itself in seconds. When mass
produced, the cost of self-tuning options will be small compared to the price of a quality piano. You
might think that this would put piano tuners out of work but that will not be the case because the
number of pianos will increase (because of this book), the self-tuning mechanism requires
maintenance and, for pianos in such perfect tune, frequent hammer voicing and regulation (that are
too often neglected today) will make a significant improvement in musical output. This higher level
of maintenance will be demanded by the increasing number of advanced pianists. You might
suddenly realize that it was the piano, not you, that limited technical development and musical
output (worn hammers will do it every time!). Why do you think concert pianists are so fussy about
their pianos?
In summary, this book represents an unique event in the history of piano pedagogy and is
revolutionizing piano teaching. Surprisingly, there is little that is fundamentally new in this book.
We owe most of the major concepts to Yvonne (Combe), Franz, Freddie, Ludwig, Wolfie, Johann,
etc. Yvonne and Franz gave us hands separate practice, segmental practice and relaxation; Franz and
Freddie gave us the “Thumb Over” method and freed us from Hanon and Czerny; Wolfie taught us
memorization and mental play; Johann knew all about parallel sets, quiet hands (III.6.l), and the
22

Practicas basicas piano

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (15)

Similar to Practicas basicas piano

Similar to Practicas basicas piano (20)

More from Maica Leo

More from Maica Leo (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Practicas basicas piano